CITY RESILIENCE TOOLKIT Response to Deadly Heat Waves and Preparing for Rising Temperatures 1 Table of CONTENTS 1. Fact Sheet: Increasing Resilience to Extreme Heat Health Risks 3 Across Rapidly Urbanizing India 2. How-to Manual: Steps to Develop a Heat Action Plan based on 5 the Ahmedabad Experience 3. Scientifi c Journal Abstract: Development and Implementation 35 of South Asia’s First Heat-Health Action Plan in Ahmedabad (Gujarat, India) 4. Scaling Up Heat Action Plans in Key Cities and States in India: 37 Lessons from April 2015 Ahmedabad Workshop 5. New York City Knowledge Forum: Sharing International Climate 41 Resilience Experiences from India and the U.S. 6. Online Resources http://www.nrdc.org/international/india/extreme-heat- 47 preparedness/ 1 2 INCREASING RESILIENCE TO EXTREME HEAT HEALTH RISKS ACROSS RAPIDLY URBANIZING INDIA One of the world’s deadliest heat waves devastated India in May 2015, killing more than 2,300 people. As climate change increases the frequency and severity of heat waves and the associated health risks, vulnerable, poor communities are often the hardest hit. In the face of these climate-fueled weather threats, early warning systems and prepar- edness plans can be adopted to protect health and lives within communities and increase resilience to rising temperatures. Led by the city of Ahmedabad, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Public Health Founda- tion of India (PHFI)-Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar (IIPH-G), and a coalition of partners successfully implemented the fi rst-ever early warning system and interagency disaster risk reduction plan for extreme heat in South Asia in 2013. Through raising awareness, increasing health care capacity, and issuing early heat alerts, the pioneering Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan increases preparedness and resilience to extreme heat and ultimately saves lives. Now the heat resilience efforts are poised to scale with heat action plans in new cities, including Nagpur, Surat, and Bhubaneswar. Ahmedabad’s Heat Action Plan Heat waves are becoming increasingly severe, exacerbated by climate change. After a deadly heat wave hit the rapidly urbanizing city of Ahmedabad in 2010, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) partnered with a coalition of academic, health, and envi- ronmental groups to improve the city’s heat disaster response with a comprehensive early warning system and preparedness plan for extreme heat. Identifying the city’s most heat-vulnerable residents (children, the elderly, slum communities, and outdoor Deadly Threat: Ahmedabad 2010 Heat Wave Temperature and Death Count workers), the Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan was launched in 2013 and deploys a three-pronged approach to reduce heat-related health risks: 1. Building public awareness of health risks through trainings, public advertisements, and community outreach. 2. Implementing an early warning system that coordinates government agencies, health offi cials, emergency response teams, and media outlets to alert the public of impending heat waves. 3. Increasing capacity among health care workers to recognize and treat heat-related illnesses. 3 Cutting-edge research - published in prominent scientifi c journals - is the foundation of the Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan and heat preparedness scaling efforts. Initial evaluation of the effectiveness of the Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan shows that the plan has saved numerous lives during its fi rst three years of implementation, in addition to preparing the city’s 7 million residents for future deadly heat waves. Scaling Heat Adaptation Plans Across India Based on the Ahmedabad model, NRDC and IIPH are collaborating with leading cities and states in India to craft their own early warning systems and heat preparedness plans. Nagpur, Maharashtra. In the heart of the subcontinent, the Municipal Heat Action Plans in India city of Nagpur and neighboring cities Chandrapur, Gondia, Akola, Nanded and Jalgaon are devising heat action plans to be adopted ahead of the 2016 heat season. For seven consecutive summers, the city has seen temperatures exceed 45°C (113°F). Through efforts led by the Maharashtra State Public Health De- partment and Nagpur Municipal Corporation, Nagpur is on track to become the second city and Maharashtra will become the fi rst state to adopt regional heat preparedness plans in India. Surat, Gujarat. Located along Gujarat’s western coast, the city of Surat’s high humidity compounds the health impacts of extreme temperatures each year. Surat’s heat action plan could create the groundwork for a regional or state-level heat resilience plan in Gujarat. Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The state of Odisha suffered an historic heat wave in 1998, with more than 2,000 people losing their lives. The city of Bhubaneswar, which also experiences high humidity, is working with the Odisha State Disaster Manage- ment Authority to expand its regional disaster planning based on the Ahmedabad model to prepare for rising tempera- tures. National Heat Wave Planning Key cities, NRDC and IIPH are also working with the Indian government to mainstream heat wave planning at the state and national levels. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) plays a critical role at the national and local level, provid- ing cities with guidance on using weather forecasts and determining temperature thresholds to declare heat alerts. IMD supports the scaling up of heat action plans by strengthening and coordinating forecast communication to the cities. The National Disaster Management Authority has also started providing guidelines for heat-related disaster risk reduction plans to increase communities’ resilience to extreme heat and overall capacity in climate adaptation efforts across India. As temperatures continue to rise, pioneering heat wave preparedness efforts like the heat action plan in Ahmedabad are critical in protecting vulnerable communities from the increasingly deadly effects of a warming world. Heat Health Preparedness Resource Page http://www.nrdc.org/international/india/extreme-heat-preparedness/ MARCH 2013 NRDC IB:13-01-C $&" #%$ *5/ /0+86. ISSUE BRIEF 4:+84':/54'25;84'25, ,3'/-,+#,1*#0#/!&," Rising Temperatures, Deadly Threat: 2 *'!#*1& Recommendations for Slum Communities in Ahmedabad ===3*6/)5305;84'2/0+86. 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Developing a Heat Action Plan 4. Team Preparation and Coordination 5. Implementation and Monitoring 6. Evaluating and Updating the Plan 7. Strategies for Reducing Extreme Heat and Adapting to Climate Change APPENDIX 6 INTRODUCTION Climate change poses signifi cant challenges to cities. As urban populations continue to grow, the need for cities and their residents to adapt to climate change and its impacts becomes increasingly urgent. Extreme heat is one of the health threats already challeng- ing cities in India and around the world. The second deadliest heat wave in India's recorded history devastated More than 2,300 people the country in May 2015, causing more than 2,300 deaths.1 Temperatures died during India's soared, averaging more than 5.5°C (nearly 10°F) above average for two second deadliest heat weeks, creating a relentless and dangerous heat crisis for people across the country.2 Extreme heat events such as these have resulted in deaths, eco- wave in history in May nomic losses, power outages, and even riots and protests. Climate change 2015. Extreme heat is expected to fuel more intense, more frequent extreme heat events.3 events such as these have resulted in deaths, The consequences of extreme heat can clearly be dire. Cities and states— economic losses, power as drivers of national economic growth—therefore need to prepare for recur- outages, and even riots ring heat waves.